Improvement in hat-knife



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CHARLES A. FISHER, OF GENESEO, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 73,177, dated January 7, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY-KNIFE.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, CHARLES AaFISHElt, of Geneseo, in the county of Henry, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and improved Hay-Knife; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and-use the same, refcrencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention rclates to a new and improved method of constructing or shaping knives for cutting hay, whereby the same are rendered more convenient in handling and more effective in operation than hay-knives have hitherto been; and the invention consists in.thc peculiar form or shape of the knife, and in the handles thereof, as will be hereinafter described.

' Figure 1 is a longitudinal side view of a hay-knife formed or constructed according to my invention.

Figure 2 is-an edge view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

As will he noticed in-the drawing, this hay-knife is designed to be used with both hands grasping separate handles,and that, while the drawing stroke of the old knife is preserved, the weight of the operator is brought more directly on the knife, and the knife thereby made much more useful or effective. The labor in operating this knife is much less fatiguing than with the old kind, as in the latter case the operator depends principally upon his muscle, in the former case upon his weight.

Referring to the drawings, fig. 1 represents the cutting-edge or blade of the knife, whichstands at: an angle of about forty-five degrees with the shaft. 13 is the shaft, and C D are branches of the plate connecting the shaft with the blade of the knife. The shaft, blade, and knife are all cut from a plate of rolled metal, and may be provided with't-heopening E, or made solid. F represents a handle, which is secured to the shaft by a shank, and stands at a right angle with it, as seen. G is the handle at the top of the shaft, which is secured as the handles shovels and many other implements are.

As will be seen, the blade is straight on its edge, and consequently can easily be kept sharp. It will be also seen that the shaft is somewhat curved, as seen in fig. 2, at H. This curve allows the weight, which is thrownron to the handle F, to bcar more directly on the knifel I am aware that hay-knives have heretofore been made with inclined cutting-edges, but, as this forms no part of my invention, I do not therefore claim it'; but having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As a new article of manufacture, the hay-knife, when formed from a piece of metal, as shown and described, and provided with the handles F G, as herein set forth.

The above specification of my invention signed by me, this thirteenth day of September, 1867.

CHARLES A. FISHER.

Witnesses:

C. E. SMITH, D. I. VERITY. 

